New Riedel glassware marks 50 years of its ‘Sommeliers’ series

New machine-made Riedel glassware replicates the intricacies of the original, handmade ‘Sommeliers’ series, shaped to enhance the drinking experience

Riedel glassware
(Image credit: Courtesy of Riedel)
By Tianna Williams
published

The latest ‘Supperleggero’ Riedel glassware collection is the company’s machine-made homage to its handmade ‘Sommeliers’ series, first introduced in 1973.

Riedel has been elevating the dining experience since the company was founded in Bohemia in 1756, and its landmark ‘Sommeliers’ collection featured glasses shaped specifically to enhance the taste of wine. In the 1980s, the company went on to revolutionise the glassware-making process by developing machinery to replicate the intricacy of a handmade collection.

Superleggero honours landmark Riedel glassware

Riedel wine glasses

The ‘Sommeliers’ collection

(Image credit: Courtesy of Riedel)

Marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Sommeliers’, Riedel has reintroduced its shapes in machine-made form with the new ‘Superleggero’ collection. Back in 2015, a handmade series of the same name by Maximillian J Riedel, the company’s 11th-generation CEO and president, built on the qualities of the ‘Sommeliers’ series. Now, the latest ‘Superleggera’ collection sets a new benchmark for machine-made glassware.

Riedel

The Superleggero machine-made collection in various shapes according to wine

(Image credit: Courtesy of Riedel)

Maximilian was responsible for the unprecedented move into machine manufacturing that achieves the same quality as hand-blown glass. The machine-made ‘Superleggero’ glasses offer the same calibre as handmade versions, with intricately thin glass, long stems, and Sommeliers’ iconic egg-shaped bowl design.

Coloured crystal glasses

Riedel Laudon glassware, part of its tumbler collection

(Image credit: Courtesy of Riedel)

Riedel was the first company to recognise that the taste and aroma of a selected drink are affected by the shape of the glass, and has become a go-to choice for the connoisseur. The machine-made ‘Superleggero’ glasses represent a natural next step in the company’s quest to enhance the drinking experience, and are crafted at its factory in Weiden, Germany.

riedel.com

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Tianna Williams

Tianna Williams is the Editorial Executive at Wallpaper*. Before joining the team in 2023, Williams taught scuba diving for three years before heading into journalism. Previously she has been involved covering social media and editorial for BBC Wales, Ford UK, SurfGirl Magazine, and Parisian Vibe, while also completing an MA in Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. Her work covers writing across varying content pillars for Wallpaper*.

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